Sara Duterte sole VP, DepEd chief with confidential funds — COA auditor

Vice President Sara Duterte was the only vice president and Education secretary to have received appropriations for confidential funds, a Commission on Audit (COA) auditor testifying as a prosecution witness said Monday.

Auditor Roderick Wamil, who served with the COA's Intelligence and Confidential Funds Audit Office (ICFAO) from September 2014 to February 2024, said it was only during Duterte's tenure that he audited confidential funds appropriated for both the Office of the Vice President (OVP) and the Department of Education (DepEd).

The ICFAO is the COA unit tasked with auditing the use of confidential and intelligence funds by government agencies.

"Tanging si Vice President Sara Duterte lang po ang aking na-audit na may confidential funds," Wamil said during the impeachment trial.

(Only Vice President Sara Duterte was audited by me as having confidential funds.)

Wamil said that during his stint with the ICFAO from 2014 to 2024, neither former Vice President Jejomar Binay, who served from 2010 to 2016, nor former Vice President Leni Robredo, who served from 2016 to 2022, had appropriations for confidential funds.

"Since nag-assume po ako noong 2014 sa ICFAO, wala pong naging appropriation for confidential fund si dating Vice President Binay at si dating Vice President Robredo," he said.

(Since I assumed office at the ICFAO in 2014, there was no appropriation for confidential funds for former Vice President Binay or former Vice President Robredo.)

"Tanging si Vice President Sara Duterte lang po ang nagkaroon ng appropriation for confidential funds," he said.

(Only Vice President Sara Duterte had an appropriation for confidential funds.)

Wamil also testified that Duterte was the only Education secretary whose office received appropriations for confidential funds during his tenure at the ICFAO.

"Dahil siya lang po ang naging DepEd secretary na nagkaroon ng confidential funds," he said.

(Because she was the only DepEd secretary who had confidential funds appropriated for the department.)

According to Wamil, he audited DepEd's confidential funds covering cash advances totaling P112.5 million from the first to the third quarters of 2023, or P37.5 million per quarter.

For the OVP, Wamil said confidential funds amounted to P125 million per quarter from the fourth quarter of 2022 to the third quarter of 2023, for a total of P500 million.

Earlier on Monday, Duterte's camp disputed claims that the OVP had spent P125 million in confidential funds within just 11 days in December 2022. — MCG, GMA News